Systems and methods for editing, recalling, and deleting messages

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for enabling messages to be modified are disclosed. The system can enable messages that have already been sent, and even messages that have already been read, to be edited, recalled, or deleted. The system can identify incoming messages with message identifications (IDs) that are associated with previously sent or received messages, or “stored” messages, and modify the stored messages according to the content of the incoming messages. The system can include new SIP headers including X-EDIT-MessageID, X-RECALL-MessageID, and X-DELETE-MessageID. When an incoming message is received with a message ID associated with a stored message and/or one of the new commands, the receiving user equipment (UE) can replace the contents of the stored message with the contents of the incoming message or recall or delete the stored message.

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to,co-pending, commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/900,739,filed on Jun. 12, 2020, that is a continuation of, and claims priorityto, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/001,606 filed on Jun. 6, 2018,now known as U.S. Pat. No. 10,693,825, issued on Jun. 23, 2020, which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

Short messaging service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS),often referred to simply as “text messaging,” is a very popular form ofcommunication. With SMS, users can send a message up to 140 characterslong (or longer messages broken into 140 character parts), which isreceived by the recipient usually within seconds. Text messages can beuseful when a voice call is not possible, for example, because one ofthe users (the sender or the recipient) is at work, in a meeting, orotherwise unavailable.

The addition of multimedia messaging service (MMS) has enabled users toinclude photos, emojis, and other types of media in messages, furtherenhancing the service. Users can now take a picture with their cameraphone, for example, and then send the picture and a caption in an MIMSto one or more recipients. And, while an MMS provides additionalcapabilities, it still functions in substantially the same user-friendlyway as an SMS message.

One drawback to current SMS and MMS messages, however, is that, oncethey are sent, they cannot be edited, recalled, or deleted. So, if auser misspelled a word in a message, for example, they may send anothermessage simply to correct the spelling of one word. Worse, users cansometimes inadvertently send a message to the wrong recipient, whichcannot then be recalled or deleted. Obviously, some messages intendedfor friends or loved ones might reveal confidences or be embarrassing ifaccidentally sent to the wrong recipient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart that depicts an example of a session based methodfor sending, receiving, and modifying messages, in accordance with someexamples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart that depicts an example of a method for receivinga message, determining if the message is a new incoming message or astored message, and then handling the message accordingly, in accordancewith some examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart that depicts an example of a non-session basedmethod for sending, receiving, and modifying messages, in accordancewith some examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a network including a plurality of user equipment (UE)running applications that can be used to send, receive, and modifymessages, in accordance with some examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) portionof the network shown in FIG. 4, in accordance with some examples of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an example of a UE for use with the systems and methodsdisclosed herein, in accordance with some examples of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is an example of an RCS server for use with the systems andmethods disclosed herein, in accordance with some examples of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Examples of the present disclosure can comprise systems and methods forediting, recalling, and deleting messages after they have been sent. Insome examples, new session initiation protocol (SIP) messages can enablemessages to be edited and deleted, even after they have been deliveredand, in some cases, in real-time. The system can be session-based andcan edit or delete messages via a message session relay protocol (MSRP)server. If the session is still active for the messaging between theuser and the recipient, for example, the system can utilize the existingsession. Otherwise, a new session can be established. In other examples,the system can send standalone SIP messages including the message ID forthe target message and instructions to either delete the message or editit.

For clarity, short messaging service (SMS), multimedia message service(MMS), rich communications services, video messages, and other types ofmessaging are simply referred to herein as, “messages.” The systems andmethods described herein are applicable to any of these types ofmessages that use internet protocol (IP) and MSRP or SIP messaging tooperate. The system is also described below for use with currenttechnology networks (e.g., 4G LTE networks). One of skill in the artwill recognize, however, that similar solutions could be used forediting messages on 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine(M2M), and even future network technologies that have yet to beinvented. Thus, the use of 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE in the examples below issimply a reflection of current technologies and is not meant to limitthe application. Indeed, one of ordinary skill in the art will see thatthe system could also be used, with little or no modification, withonline instant messaging and other messaging services.

As mentioned above, while convenient, text, and other, messages have onemajor drawback—once the user hits the send button, the message generallycannot be edited, recalled, or deleted. So, for example, a user types amessage, “I am stopping at the grocery store fir milk, do you needanything?” and hits send. The user then notices that they misspelled“for” as “fir.” Because messages, for example, cannot currently beedited after sending them, however, common practice is to send anothermessage that simply says, “for”. And, while the recipient probablyunderstood the message anyway, this technology nonetheless results inadditional messages being sent.

Standard Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) session based messaging usingthe Message Session Relay Protocol (MSRP), however, does not have aprovision for replacing or editing messages. During an MSRP session,each message includes information such as, for example, to, from,conversation ID, contribution ID, etc. Each message also includes amessage ID, however, the message ID for each subsequent message isdifferent and random. Because of this, after the message is delivered,the message ID is no longer utilized, other than some rudimentaryfunctions such as deduplication (i.e., ensuring the message is not aduplicate of one previously received). There is currently no ability,however, to edit previous messages, only send new ones.

SIP standalone messaging uses the “MESSAGE” command to send messages.And, while the message also contains a message ID, the message ID isalso not used after the message is delivered to, for example, edit,recall, or delete messages. This is because there is no SIP command thatreferences the previous message ID (e.g., REPLACE, RECALL, DELETE, etc.,as discussed below). As a result, under the current SIP (session basedand standalone based) protocol, once a SIP message is sent, it cannot bemodified.

It would be useful to be able to simply edit the first message in theexample above to change “fir” to “for.” In addition, if the message wasmeant for your wife, but you sent it to a friend, for example, it wouldalso be useful to be able to delete or recall the message to avoidconfusion. If the session created to send the message in the first placeis still active, it would also be useful to use the same session toedit, delete, or recall the message to reduce signaling overhead. It isto such systems and methods that examples of the present disclosure aredirected.

As shown in FIG. 1, in some examples, the method 100 can be sessionbased. In this configuration, the method 100 can use a richcommunications services server (RCS—shown) or other server to enableediting, recalling, and/or deleting messages using MSRP messaging. Inthis case, however, the message ID can be used to edit, recall, ordelete messages.

FIG. 1 depicts messaging between a user equipment (UE) of a sender 102and the UE of a recipient 104 via an RCS server 106. The UEs 102, 104can be any type of electronic device capable of sending various types ofmessages including, but not limited to, cell phones, smart phones,tablet computers, and laptop computers. For ease of explanation, themessage is shown going straight from the sender UE 102 to the RCS server106 to the recipient UE 104. One of skill in the art will recognizethat, in reality, messaging can involve several additional networkentities such as, for example, a home subscriber service (HSS) and/or athird-generation partnership project authentication, authorization, andaccounting (3GPP AAA) server, which are discussed below in more detailwith reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

At 108, the sender UE 102 can send an “INVITE” to the recipient 104 viathe RCS server 106 to initiate an MSRP session with the recipient UE104. The invite can include, for example, the phone number or IP addressof the sender (from), the phone number or IP address of the recipient(to), the conversation ID, contribution ID, user agent (UA), call ID,etc. The INVITE is used to establish the initial MSRP session formessaging. At 110, the INVITE can be sent from the RCS server 106 to therecipient UE 104 for acceptance.

At 112, if the recipient UE 104 is willing and able to open the session,the recipient UE 104 can send an acknowledgement such as a SIP “200 OK”.200 OK indicates that the request to establish the session wassuccessful. At 114, the RCS server 106 can relay the 200 OK to thesender UE 102 to inform the sender UE 102 that the session has beenestablished.

Now that the session has been established, at 116, the sender UE 102 cansend a first MSRP message to the RCS server 106 addressed to therecipient UE 104. The first message can include text, images, videoand/or other media. Notably, the first message also includes the messageID, in this case MSG 1. At 118, the RCS server 106 can relay the firstmessage to the recipient UE 104. If the recipient UE 104 received themessage successfully, then at 120, the recipient UE 104 can send anotheracknowledgement. To avoid confusion, MESSAGE DELIVERED is used hereinand shown in FIG. 1. At 122, the RCS server 106 can relay the MESSAGEDELIVERED response to the sender UE 102. An example of this exchange isshown below:

MSRP sd678hg5 SEND To-Path:msrp://recipient.example.com:12763/kjhd37s2s20w2a;tcp From-Path:msrp://sender.example.com:7654/jshA7weztas;tcp Message-ID: MSG 1Byte-Range: 1-25/25 Content-Type: text/plain I am stopping at thegrocery store fir milk, do you need anything? -------sd678hg5$ MSRPa786hjs2 200 OK To-Path: msrp://sender.example.com:7654/jshA7weztas;tcpFrom-Path: msrp://recipient.example.com:12763/kjhd37s2s20w2a;tcp------sd678hg5

Using conventional MSRP technology, when the sender UE 102 receives theMESSAGE RECEIVED, the system is “done” with this particular message. Inother words, the message, and the message ID, are no longer used by thenetwork (though they may be stored in the message histories of the UEs102, 104). The message has been sent and cannot be altered. A secondmessage, therefore, uses a second message ID—e.g., MSG 2—while MSG 1 isused in the four preceding steps 116, 118, 120, 122 and then is not usedagain. Using the method 100 described herein, however, the user can usethe message ID to edit, recall, or delete the message.

In the session-based configuration, the next step is based on whetherthe initial session is still active. Generally, once established, thesession will remain open as long as there is active messaging. If thereis a lull in messaging that exceeds some predetermined time (e.g., 2 or3 minutes) then the session is automatically ended and must bereestablished. At 124, therefore, when the session has ended, the senderUE 102 can send a second INVITE to the RCS server 106 to establish a newsession. As before, the invite can include, for example, to, from, theconversation ID, contribution ID, user agent (UA), call ID, and otherfields. At 126, the second INVITE can be sent to the recipient UE 104for acceptance.

At 128, if the recipient UE 104 is willing and able to open a newsession, the recipient UE 104 can send a 200 OK. Again, 200 OK indicatesthat the request to establish the second session was successful. At 130,the RCS server 106 can relay the 200 OK to the sender UE 102 to informthe sender UE 102 that the session has been established. In FIG. 1,these steps 124, 126, 128, 130 are shown in dotted lines because theyneed not be repeated if the session is still active. If the session isstill active, the sender UE 102 can simply send the second message, at132, as discussed below.

Referring back to the example above—and regardless of whether thesession is still active or has been reestablished—when the user realizesthat they have misspelled “for,” in the first message, the user canreselect the first message to edit it. Using a touchscreen phone, forexample, the user may simply touch and hold the screen where the firstmessage is displayed in the messaging application until a drop-down menuappears. Conventionally, the drop-down menu might include, for example,“copy” or “forward”. This only copies the content of the message,however, for inclusion in a second message with a second message ID. Inthe present case, however, the method 100 can edit, recall, or deletethe first message. To this end, edit, recall, and/or delete can be addedto the drop-down menu. Of course, different UE and different operatingsystems (OS) can provide this feature in different ways and usingdifferent inputs and outputs.

When the user has finished editing the message, the user can hit sendagain to send the second message. At 132, the sender UE 102 can send thesecond message back to the RCS server 106. Editing the message usingMSRP can be achieved in at least two ways. In the first example, therecipient UE 104 knows to edit the message based solely on the repeatedmessage ID (MSG 1):

MSRP bf5676lk SEND To-Path:msrp://recipient.example.com:12763/kjhd37s2s20w2a;tcp From-Path:msrp://sender.example.com:7654/jshA7weztas;tcp Message-ID: MSG 1Byte-Range: 1-25/25 Content-Type: text/plain I am stopping at thegrocery store for milk, do you need anything? -------bf5676lk$ MSRPa786hjs2 200 OK To-Path: msrp://sender.example.com:7654/jshA7weztas;tcpFrom-Path: msrp://recipient.example.com:12763/kjhd37s2s20w2a;tcp------bf5676lk

Note that the second message may have a new transaction ID (bf56761k),since it is actually a different message, but it has the same message ID(MSG 1). In this case, the second message also contains the correctedtext correcting “fir” to “for”. As discussed below, the recipient UE canthen determine that the message ID for the second message is associatedwith the first message. This, in turn, indicates the need to modify thefirst message, instead of displaying the second message (as wouldnormally occur).

In the second example, the method 100 can use a new SIP header to modifythe first message. Thus, the SIP INVITE message can include one ofseveral new commands including, for example, X-EDIT-MessageID,X-RECALL-MessageID and X-DELETE-MessageID. In this example, the senderUE 102 can use the edit feature to correct the initial message:

========== SIP SESSION REQUEST ================= INVITEsip:receiver@example.com SIP/2.0 To: <sip:receiver@example.com> From:<sip:sender@example.com> Call-ID: 87295gh4980w8NB Content-Type:application/sdp c=IN IP6 example.com m=message 7654 TCP/MSRP *a=accept-types:text/plaina=path:msrp://example.com:7654/kalhjg6sjkhgs;tcp X-EDIT-MessageID: MSG 1===============MSRP SESSION ========================= MSRP fghy678j SENDTo-Path: msrp://recipient.example.com:12763/kjhd37s2s20w2a;tcpFrom-Path: msrp://sender.example.com:7654/jshA7weztas;tcp Message-ID:MSG 1 Byte-Range: 1-25/25 Content-Type: text/plain I am stopping at thegrocery store for milk, do you need anything? -------fghy678j $ MSRPa786hjs2 200 OK To-Path: msrp://sender.example.com:7654/jshA7weztas;tcpFrom-Path: msrp://recipient.example.com:12763/kjhd37s2s20w2a;tcp------fghy678j

Again, while the second message may have a new transaction ID(fghy678j), it again contains the message ID (MSG 1) from the firstmessage. In this example, the second INVITE/message also includes theX-EDIT-MessageID command. The X-EDIT-MessageID command can indicate tothe recipient UE 104 that this message is intended to edit a previousmessage, as opposed to being a (new), incoming message. TheX-EDIT-MessageID command may seem duplicative when including the messageID from the first message, but this may preclude the need for therecipient UE 104 to maintain a message ID history of the previousmessage IDs. In other words, the fact that the second message is used toedit the first message is already indicated by the X-EDIT-MessageIDcommand. Thus, rather than performing a comparison of the message ID toa message ID history to determine whether the message is intended toedit a previous message, for example, the recipient UE 104 can simplyfind the appropriate message in the history of the messagingapplication.

Regardless of the mechanism used, at 134, the RCS server 106 can sendthe second message to the recipient UE 104. In the first example, ratherthan simply displaying the message, the recipient UE 104 can firstdetermine if the message includes a second (or, “new”) message ID or astored (or, “old”) message ID for a previously received message (e.g.,the message ID for the first message). In this case, the message ID isMSG 1, so the recipient UE 104 can determine that the second message hasbeen sent to modify the first message. As discussed below, the recipientUE 104 can maintain a message ID history of message IDs for previousmessages for comparison to the second message.

In the second example, the X-EDIT-MessageID command automatically tellsthe UE that the second message is sent to modify a previous message.Although the second message is identified with a second transaction ID(because it is a separate message), the message ID (MSG 1) isnonetheless included to indicate that the second message is intended tomodify the first message. This may free up memory, processor, and otherresources on the recipient UE 104 because the UE 104 is not required tomaintain a separate message ID history, for example, or compare thesecond message to the message ID history to determine if the secondmessage is intended to modify the first message or is an incoming, ornew, message.

At 136, as before, the recipient UE 104 can send a MESSAGE RECEIVEDacknowledgement to the RCS server 106. In other examples, specificacknowledgement messages can be used for each of the new functions—i.e.,edit, recall, delete, etc. In the example above, the message mayspecifically indicate that the message has been edited—e.g., EDIT OK, orsimilar. Depending on the messaging application and the network,additional messaging may also follow, such as, for example, MESSAGEREAD, USER TYPING, etc.

In some examples, not all UE 102, 104 will have the ability to edit,recall, or delete messages. In some situations, the sender UE 102 mayinclude a messaging application that includes these features, but therecipient UE 104 does not. This may be because the recipient UE 104 doesnot have the updated application, or because the network associated withthe recipient UE 104 does not provide these features, or because therecipient UE 104 is an older model that cannot perform these operationsor cannot be updated, among other things.

Regardless of the reason, if the recipient UE 104 does not have theability to update the stored message with the incoming message, then therecipient UE 104 can return an error message. The recipient UE 104 canreturn a 603 DECLINE indicating it is unable to complete the request.The sender UE 102 can then display an error message to the user, forexample, to enable the user to send another message with thecorrections, decline to act further, etc. Of course, for a RECALL orDELETE, these features may simply not be available in this case.

As mentioned above, conventionally, the message ID was not used foranything subsequent to the message being delivered to the recipient(other than the aforementioned deduplication process). To the contrary,as shown in FIG. 2, examples of the present disclosure can comprise amethod 200 for using message IDs and/or commands to modify previouslysent messages. The method 200 can edit/replace messages by default, butmay also include other functions such as recall and delete.

At 202, the UE can receive an incoming message from another UE via theRCS server 106. As mentioned above, the incoming message can include anumber of items including the message itself (e.g., text, video, images,etc.) and the message ID, among other things. Rather than automaticallydisplaying the incoming message as in conventional systems, however, theUE can first determine if the message ID for the incoming message,message ID_(X) in this example, is associated with a stored message(i.e., a message ID that has been seen and needs to be modified), ornot.

To this end, the UE can maintain a message ID history of message IDs forsome, or all, of the messages received by the UE. The message ID historycan be maintained for all messages stored in the history of themessaging application on the UE or for a predetermined period of time(e.g., one month, one week, one day, for each session, etc.), or in anymanner chosen by the user or provided by the messaging application. Insome examples, message IDs can be removed from the message ID historywhen a user deletes messages (e.g., to free up memory), for example, orwhen the messaging application is set to delete messages after apredetermined amount of time and/or received content, etc. The messageID history can be a simple list and can take up relatively littlememory, however, because all that is used at this stage is the messageID. At 204, therefore, the UE can compare message ID_(X) (the message IDof the incoming message) to the message ID history to determine if thereis a match.

At 206, based on this comparison, the UE can determine if the incomingmessage is associated with an incoming message or a stored message. Ifthere is a match for message ID_(X) in the message ID history, then themessage has been sent to modify a stored message, presumably in thehistory of the messaging application—i.e., if it had been deleted, themessage ID would have been deleted from the message ID history. If thereis no match for message ID_(X) in the message ID history, then, in someexamples, the message can be treated as an incoming message.

If message ID_(X) is not included in the message ID history, then at208, the UE can simply display the incoming message in the conventionalmanner. In some examples, the message or media associated with messageID_(X) can be included in the appropriate location (e.g., the bottom) ofa dialog box on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the messagingapplication. In other examples, such as when sequential message IDs areused, the message can be displayed in the order it would have appearedin the dialog box had the message not been deleted (i.e., it can beplaced in the “original” location in the dialog box). In this case, thedialog box may automatically scroll to this location when the user opensthe messaging application to alert the user that a change has been madeto the dialog box.

The dialog box can display the “conversation” between the sender (e.g.,sender UE 102) and recipient (e.g., recipient UE 104) of the message. Insome examples, such as when the UE is locked, the UE can play a tone toalert the user to an incoming message and/or display a notification onthe locked screen of the UE. The messaging application can then displaythe message when the user opens the messaging application, for example,or unlocks the phone.

If message ID_(X) is included in the message ID history, on the otherhand, then at 210, the UE can determine if a command is included withthe incoming message. As mentioned above, in some examples, the method200 can default to the X-EDIT-MessageID function. In other words, if themessage is a standard MSRP message and includes the SEND command, butmessage ID_(X) is in the message ID history, then the UE knows that thecontents of the incoming message are meant to edit or replace thecontents previously found in the stored message associated with messageID_(X).

In some examples, the UE can simply replace the contents of the storedmessage with the contents of the incoming message in its entirety. Inother examples, the UE can parse the differences between the storedmessage and the incoming message and merely replace those portions ofthe message that are different. In still other examples, the incomingmessage may include code or shorthand that indicates what action is tobe taken. In the example above, this may reduce the size of the contentsof the incoming message from, “I am stopping at the grocery store formilk, do you need anything?”, for example, to “RC37 with ‘o’”—replacecharacter 37 of the stored message associated with message ID_(X) with“o”.

Regardless of the actual mechanism of editing the message (replace oredit), the default action—the command assumed when there is no othercommand other than the standard SEND—can be to replace or edit themessage as described in the contents of the incoming message. Of course,the method could also use a specific X-EDIT-MessageID header to removeany ambiguity. In sum, an incoming message with a message ID associatedwith a stored message and a standard SEND, or an incoming message withthe X-EDIT-MessageID header, can both be treated as an EDIT. An EDIT, inturn, can be an actual edit of the stored message or simply areplacement of the stored message with the incoming message.

In some examples, the incoming message can be displayed in the originallocation in the dialog box (i.e., the location where the stored messagewould be displayed). The messaging application may automatically scrollto this location, however, or provide another indication that a storedmessage has been modified. In other examples, the messaging applicationmay place the incoming message at the bottom of the dialog box as if theupdated message were an incoming message.

In some examples, in addition to providing the EDIT function, the method200 can also include a DELETE function and a RECALL function. To thisend, if the incoming message includes a RECALL command, then at 214, theUE can recall the message associated with message ID_(X). Similarly, ifthe incoming message includes a DELETE command, then at 216, the UE candelete the message associated with message ID_(X).

A recalled message can be a message that deletes the contents of thestored message, but leaves a notification that the stored message hasbeen recalled. In the place where the contents of the message used to bedisplayed—e.g., “Did you get my VM?”—the messaging application cansimply display, “This message was recalled by John Smith at 9:32 AM.”This may be desirable to prevent confusion, for example, as to why astored message has been changed. Indeed, in some settings (e.g.,military or legal settings), this may be standard operating procedurefor legal or security reasons—e.g., to maintain chain of custody orleave a “paper trail.”

A deleted message, on the other hand, can simply be removed from the GUIaltogether, with no notification. Thus, prior to receiving the incomingmessage, the stored message is displayed in the GUI, and after receivingthe incoming message, the stored message simply disappears. This may beuseful in a more casual setting when the sender sent the message to thewrong person, for example, or simply wishes to retract a previousstatement.

As shown in FIG. 3, examples of the present disclosure can also includea standalone method 300 for editing, recalling, and deleting messages.In this configuration, it is not necessary to establish a session priorto messaging or editing, recalling, or deleting messages. Each messageis sent using the SIP MESSAGE method. As before, however, the method 300enables the user to edit, recall, or delete previously sent messages.Again, this can be done by reusing the message ID or by instituting newSIP headers—X-EDIT-MessageID, X-RECALL-MessageID, andX-DELETE-MessageID—which can serve the functions discussed above.

The method 300 can again include a sender UE 302, a recipient UE 304,and an RCS server 306. In this case, the RCS server 306 can be aSIP-based server capable of interpreting and routing the SIP messagingdiscussed below from the sender UE 302 to the recipient UE 304.

At 308, the sender UE can send a SIP MESSAGE, MSG A, to the RCS server306. As mentioned above, in this example no session is established andthe first notification is the message itself. The message can includetext, pictures, video, or other media, and also includes a message ID,in this case MSG A. An example SIP MESSAGE is shown below:

MESSAGE sip:recipient@domain.com SIP/2.0 Via: SIP/2.0/TCPsender.domain.com;branch=h5uY8jh992srfyyh Max-Forwards: 70 From:sip:sender@domain.com;tag=55821 To: sip:recipient@domain.com Call-ID:MSG A@5.2.4.1 CSeq: 1 MESSAGE Content-Type: text/plain Content-Length:39 Are you going to the recption tnight?

At 310, the RCS server 306 can relay the message to the recipient UE304. As before, at 312, the recipient UE 304 can return anacknowledgement to the RCS server 306, such as a 200 OK, indicating thatthe message was properly returned. At 314, the RCS server 306 can relaythe 200 OK to the sender UE 302.

In this example, at 316, the recipient UE 304 can then send a message,with message ID MSG B to the sender UE 302. Again, no session isnecessary, the SIP message is the message itself and is all thesignaling required to initiate communication:

MESSAGE sip:sender@domain.com SIP/2.0 Via: SIP/2.0/TCPrecipient.domain.com;branch=h5uY8jh992srfyyh Max-Forwards: 70 From:sip:recipient@domain.com;tag=55821 To: sip:sender@domain.com Call-ID:MSG B@5.2.4.1 CSeq: 1 MESSAGE Content-Type: text/plain Content-Length:26 No, I can't go. Are you?

At 318, the RCS server 306 can relay the message to the sender UE 302.At 320, the sender UE 302 can return a 200 OK to indicate that MSG B wassuccessfully received. At 322, the RCS server 306 can relay the 200 OKto the recipient UE 304.

At this point, the user of the sender UE 302 realizes that he or sheincluded several spelling errors in MSG A. And while the user of therecipient UE 304 clearly understood the message despite themisspellings, the user of the sender UE 302 may nonetheless wish tocorrect the errors. To this end, at 324, the sender UE 302 can send acorrected message to correct the misspellings in MSG A.

As with the session-based method 200, this can be accomplished in atleast two ways. The first possibility is to simply resend the messagewith the same message ID, MSG A, but with the contents of the messagecorrected:

MESSAGE sip:recipient@domain.com SIP/2.0 Via: SIP/2.0/TCPsender.domain.com;branch=h5uY8jh992srfyyh Max-Forwards: 70 From:sip:sender@domain.com;tag=55821 To: sip:recipient@domain.com Call-ID:MSG A@5.2.4.1 CSeq: 1 MESSAGE Content-Type: text/plain Content-Length:41 Are you going to the reception tonight?

The recipient UE 304 can then use a method the same as, or similar to,the method 200 discussed above in FIG. 2. Thus, the recipient UE 304 cancompare the message ID (MSG A) of the incoming message to a list ofprevious messages to determine that the incoming message is intended toreplace a stored message. The recipient UE 304 can then replace thecontents of the stored message associated with MSG A with the contentsof the incoming message (also with the message ID MSG A) with thecorrections. Thus, the stored message is simply replaced or corrected inthe messaging application on the recipient UE 304 with the twocorrections as listed above.

The second possibility is the addition of new SIP headers to provide theEDIT, RECALL, and DELETE functions directly to the message. As before,this may preclude the need to maintain a list of previous message IDsand can also provide the additional RECALL and DELETE functions. In thisexample, because the user simply wishes to correct a previous message,the EDIT command can be used:

sip:recipient@domain.com SIP/2.0 Via: SIP/2.0/TCPsender.domain.com;branch=h5uY8jh992srfyyh Max-Forwards: 70 From:sip:sender@domain.com;tag=55821 To: sip:recipient@domain.com Call-ID:MSG A@5.2.4.1 X-EDIT-MessageID: MSG A CSeq: 1 MESSAGE Content-Type:text/plain Content-Length: 41 Are you going to the reception tonight?

In this configuration, the recipient UE 304 is notified in theX-EDIT-MessageID header of the message that the incoming message isassociated with a stored message. The message ID, MSG A, is stillincluded to indicate the stored message to which the EDIT is directed.As mentioned above, this may obviate the steps of maintaining a list ofprevious message IDs and comparing the incoming message ID to the listto determine that the incoming message is an EDIT and not an incomingmessage.

Regardless of the method used, at 326, the RCS server 306 can relay thecorrected message to the recipient UE 304. Upon receipt, the recipientUE 304 can determine the incoming message is intended to edit a storedmessage (either using the message ID or the EDIT command). The recipientUE 304 can then replace or edit the contents of the stored message withthe contents of the incoming message—in this case, correcting the twotypographical errors.

At 328, the recipient UE 304 can return a 200 OK indicating the incomingmessage was received. In some cases, the recipient UE 304 may send the200 OK in response to merely receiving the message. In other examples,the recipient UE 304 may locate and edit the stored message beforesending the 200 OK. In this manner, the 200 OK indicates not only thatthe recipient UE 304 properly received the message, but that the storedmessage has been successfully edited. At 330, the RCS server 306 canrelay the 200 OK to the sender UE 302, completing the process.

Of course, while described as being performed on the UEs 102, 104, 302,304 could be partially or completely performed by the RCS servers 106,306. The RCS servers 106, 306 could maintain the message ID lists, forexample, and provide notifications to the UEs 102, 104, 302, 304 aboutwhether the incoming message is associated with an incoming message or astored message. In some examples, the UEs 102, 104, 302, 304 could senda standard message command—e.g., SEND for MSRP or MESSAGE for SIP—butthe RCS servers 106, 306 can determine that the message ID for theincoming message is associated with a stored message using a list ofprevious message IDs. The RCS servers 106, 306 can then translate themessage to an EDIT command and relay the message to the appropriate UE102, 104, 302, 304. Some of these configurations are discussed below inFIG. 7.

FIG. 4 is an example of such a system 400 for editing, recalling, ordeleting messages in a communications network. The system 400 caninclude a plurality of UEs 402, 404 (e.g., UEs 102, 104, 302, 304), eachincluding at least one messaging application 406, 408. The messagingapplications 406, 408 need not be the same, but can have the additionalfeatures discussed above with reference to the respective methods 100,200, 300. The UEs 402, 404 can comprise, for example, cell phones, smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, or any othernetwork-connected device capable of sending the messages discussedherein (e.g., messages including text, photos, video, sounds, emoji, andother content). Indeed, the system 400 can be used in conjunction withany type of transmitted data network; and thus, the UEs 402, 404 couldbe associated with 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, wired,Internet of Things (IoT), or virtually any other kind of network. Thesystem 400 is described herein as being associated with a cellularnetwork 416, but could be used with other types of data and/or voicenetworks without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. Of course,while two UEs 402, 404 are depicted for clarity, in practice, amultitude of UEs can be in communication on multiple interconnectednetworks 416.

The UEs 402, 404 can include one or more messaging applications 406, 408to provide messaging and at least one if the methods 100, 200, 300discussed above. As the name implies, the messaging applications 406,408 can enable users to send and receive messages. In this case,however, the messaging applications 406, 408 can also enable oldmessages to be edited, recalled, and/or deleted. As discussed above,this can be done by comparing the message ID of an incoming message toprevious message IDs or by using one or more new MSRP or SIP commands(e.g., EDIT, RECALL, and/or DELETE).

The messaging application(s) 406, 408 can work in conjunction with anRCS server 414 (e.g., RCS servers 106, 306). The RCS server 414 canreceive messages and relay them to the addressee (e.g., the UEs 402,404). In some examples, as mentioned above, the RCS server 414 can alsoperform some, or all, of the steps associated with the methods 100, 200,300. The RCS server 414 can store a list of previous message IDs, forexample, to differentiate between incoming messages and stored messages,among other things. The RCS server 414 can be a standalone server or canbe executed by an existing network device such as, for example, anHLR/HSS 418 or a 3GPP AAA server 428, discussed below.

For ease of explanation, the system 400 is described herein for use witha cellular network 416. As mentioned above, however, the system 400could also be used with other types of wired and wireless networkscapable of providing messaging. The cellular network 416 can include,for example, 2G 422, 3G 424, and 4G long-term evolution (LTE) 426components. Of course, future technologies, such as, for example, 5G,Internet of Things (IoT), and device-to-device (D2D) components couldalso be included and are contemplated herein. Many of the “back-end”components of the cellular network 416 are currently involved in variousportions of voice and data transmissions, including text, video, andother messaging, from the cellular network 416 to the UEs 402, 404.Thus, a portion of the messaging application 406, 408 and some, or all,of the RCS server 414 could be located on one or more of, for example,the HLR/HSS 418, a 3GPP AAA server 428, or other components. In otherwords, the messaging applications 406, 408 and RCS server 414 can bestandalone or can be at least partially integrated into one of theexisting network components.

As is known in the art, data can be routed from the Internet or fromother sources using a circuit switched modem connection (or non-3GPPconnection) 430, which provides relatively low data rates, or via IPbased packet switched connections, which results in higher bandwidth. Inthe LTE network 426, which is purely IP based, data is routed straightfrom the Internet to the service architecture evolution gateway (SAE GW)432 to evolved Node B transceivers, enabling higher throughput.

The serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 434 is a main component of thegeneral packet radio service (GPRS) network, which handles all packetswitched data within the cellular network 416—e.g. the mobilitymanagement and authentication of the users. The MSC 436 is the primaryservice delivery node for global system for mobile communication (GSM)and code division multiple access (CDMA), responsible for routing voicecalls and short messaging service (SMS) messages, as well as otherservices (such as conference calls, fax, and circuit switched data). TheMSC 436 sets up and releases the end-to-end connection, handles mobilityand hand-over requirements during the call, and takes care of billingand real time pre-paid account monitoring.

Similarly, the mobility management entity (MME) 438 is the keycontrol-node for the 4G LTE network 426. It is responsible for idle modeUEs 402, 404 paging and tagging procedures including retransmissions.The MME 438 is involved in the bearer activation/deactivation processand is also responsible for choosing the SAE GW 432 for the UEs 402, 404at the initial attach and at the time of intra-LTE handover involvingcore network (CN) node relocation (i.e., switching from one cell site tothe next when traveling). The MME 438 is responsible for authenticatingthe user (by interacting with the HLR/HSS 418 discussed below). Thenon-access stratum (NAS) signaling terminates at the MME 438 and it isalso responsible for generation and allocation of temporary identitiesto UEs 402, 404. The MME 438 also checks the authorization of the UEs402, 404 to camp on the service provider's home public land mobilenetwork (HPLMN—for non-roaming users) or visiting public land mobilenetwork (VPLMN—for roaming users) and enforces UEs 402, 404 roamingrestrictions on the VPLMN. The MME 438 is the termination point in thenetwork for ciphering/integrity protection for NAS signaling and handlesthe security key management. The MME 438 also provides the control planefunction for mobility between LTE 426 and 2G 422 and 3G 424 accessnetworks with the S3 interface terminating at the MME 438 from the SGSN434. The MME 438 also terminates the Sla interface towards the homeHLR/HSS 418 for roaming UEs 402, 404.

The HLR/HSS 418 is a central database that contains user-related andsubscription-related information. The functions of the HLR/HSS 418include functionalities such as mobility management, call and sessionestablishment support, user authentication and access authorization. TheHSS, which is used for LTE connections, is based on the previous HLR andauthentication center (AuC) from CGMA and GSM technologies, with eachserving substantially the same functions for their respective networks.

To this end, the HLR/HSS 418 can also serve to authenticate themessaging application 406, 408, provide routing instructions (e.g., IPaddresses or phone numbers), and provide any billing associated withmessages. So, for example, the messaging application 406, 408 can sendthe messages to the RCS server 414, which can then provide informationto the HLR/HSS 418 with the necessary credentials to enable themessaging application 406, 408 to access the cellular network 416. Onceauthenticated, the HLR/HSS 418 can then ensure the user is authorized tosend messages, for example, or send an authorization request to the 3GPPAAA server 428, discussed below.

The policy and charging rules function (PCRF) 440 is a software nodethat determines policy rules in the cellular network 416. The PCRF 440generally operates at the network core and accesses subscriber databases(e.g., the HLR/HSS 418) and other specialized functions, such as contenthandling (e.g., whether the user has sufficient data left in their planto receive a multimedia message), in a centralized manner. The PCRF 440is the main part of the cellular network 416 that aggregates informationto and from the cellular network 416 and other sources. The PCRF 440 cansupport the creation of rules and then can automatically make policydecisions for each subscriber active on the cellular network 416. ThePCRF 440 can also be integrated with different platforms like rating,charging, and subscriber databases or can also be deployed as astandalone entity.

Finally, the 3GPP AAA server 428 performs authentication, authorization,and accounting (AAA) functions and may also act as an AAA proxy server.For wireless local area network (WLAN) access to (3GPP) IP networks 420,the 3GPP AAA server 428 provides authorization, policy enforcement, androuting information to various WLAN components. The 3GPP AAA server 428can generate and report billing/accounting information, perform offlinebilling control for the WLAN, and perform various protocol conversionswhen necessary. The 3GPP AAA server 428 can also facilitate messagingfrom the IP networks 420 to the cellular network 416. Thus, the 3GPP AAAserver 428 can determine if the user is authorized to access content andhandle some or all of the routing from the HLR/HSS 418 to the messagingapplication 406, 408, among other things.

In some examples, the HLR/HSS 418 and/or 3GPP AAA server 428 can containsome, or all, of the components of the system 400. The HLR/HSS 418and/or 3GPP AAA server 428 can include, for example, the RCS server 414,and other functions. Of course, as mentioned above, other components(e.g., the PCRF 440 or MME 438) could also include some, or all, of thesystem 400.

FIG. 5 includes a more detailed view of the components of the internetprotocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) 500 for the 4G LTE network 426. Asshown, the IMS 500 includes several network components for routingsignals, storing subscriber information, and connecting across varioussubsystems and network types. The IMS 500 is built on SIP as is the baseto further support packaging of voice, video, data, fixed, and mobileservices on a single platform to end users. It enables communicationsacross multiple types of networks, including cellular, satellite,broadband, cable, and fixed networks, and enables the creation ofefficient interoperating networks. The IMS 500 can also enable the newSIP commands and “session-less” messaging discussed above with respectto FIG. 3.

The IMS 500 also provides interoperability for the UEs 402, 404 andother devices across multiple platforms including, for example, 2G 422,3G 424, 4G 426, and IP 420 networks. The IMS 500 also includes somecomponents already discussed more generally in FIG. 4. These include,for example, the PCRF 440, HLR/HSS 418, and SAE GW 432.

The IMS 500 also includes a proxy-call session control function (P-CSCF)502. The P-CSCF 502 is the entry point to the IMS 500 and serves as theoutbound proxy server for the UEs 402, 404. The UEs 402, 404 attach tothe P-CSCF 502 prior to performing IMS registrations and initiating SIPsessions. The P-CSCF 502 may be in the home domain of the IMS operator,or it may be in the visiting domain, where one or more of the UEs 402,404 are currently roaming. For attachment to a given P-CSCF 502, the UEs402, 404 perform P-CSCF 502 discovery procedures. Attachment to theP-CSCF 502 enables the UEs 402, 404 to initiate registrations andsessions with the IMS 500.

The IMS 500 also includes an interrogating-call session control function(I-CSCF) 504. The I-CSCF 504 acts as an inbound SIP proxy server in theIMS 500. During IMS registrations, the I-CSCF 504 queries the HLR/HSS418 to select the appropriate S-CSCF 506 (discussed below) which canserve the UEs 402, 404. During IMS sessions, the I-CSCF 504 acts as theentry point to terminating session requests. The I-CSCF 504 routes theincoming session requests to the S-CSCF 506 of the called party.

The IMS 500 also includes a serving-call session control function(S-CSCF) 506. The S-CSCF 506 acts as a registrar server, and in somecases, as a redirect server. The S-CSCF 506 facilitates the routing pathfor mobile-originated or mobile-terminated session requests. The S-CSCF506 also interacts with various components for playing tones andannouncements, among other things. For the session-based method 100,discussed above, the S-CSCF 506 can receive messages from the UEs 402,404 or the HLR/HSS 418, for example, and establish the appropriatesessions with the RCS server 414 or other telephony applications servers(TASs) 512 according to the services requested by the UEs 402, 404.

The IMS 500 also includes a breakout gateway control function (BGCF)508. The BGCF 508 is the IMS 500 element that selects the network inwhich PSTN 518 (discussed below) breakout is to occur. If the breakoutis to occur in the same network as the BGCF 508, for example, then theBGCF 508 selects a media gateway control function (MGCF) 514 (alsodiscussed below) that will be responsible for interworking with the PSTN518. The MGCF 514 then receives the SIP signaling from the BGCF 508.

The IMS 500 also includes a subscriber location function (SLF) 510. TheSLF 510 provides information about the HLR/HSS 418 that is associatedwith a particular user profile. It is generally implemented using adatabase. If the IMS 500 contains more than one HLR/HSS 418, then theI-CSCF 504 and S-CSCF 506 will communicate with SLF 510 to locate theappropriate HLR/HSS 418 based on the user profile.

The IMS 500 also includes the aforementioned TAS(s) 512. As the nameimplies, the TAS 512, sometimes known in a telephony context only as anapplication server (AS), is a component used to provide telephonyapplications and additional multimedia functions. The TAS 512 caninclude any entity in a telephone network that carries out functionsthat are not directly related to the routing of messages through thenetwork. Such functions can include, for example, in-network answeringmachines, automatic call forwarding, conference bridges and other typesof applications. And, while shown as a single entity in FIG. 5, multipleTASs 512 are generally used to provide multiple services. Based on theservices requested by the UE 402, 404 to the S-CSCF 506, for example,the S-CSCF 506 can establish sessions with one or more TASs 512, one TAS512 for each service.

The IMS 500 also includes the MGCF 514. The MGCF 514 is a SIP endpointthat handles call control protocol conversion between SIP and ISDN userpart (ISUP)/bearer-independent call control (BICC) and interfaces withthe SAE GW 432 over stream control transmission protocol (SCTP). TheMGCF 514 also controls the resources in a media gateway (MGW) 516 acrossan H.248 interface. The MGW 516 is a translation device or service thatconverts media streams between disparate telecommunications technologiessuch as POTS, SS7, next generation networks (2G 422, 3G 424, and 4G LTE426) or private branch exchange (PBX) systems.

Finally, the IMS 500 also includes a public switched telephone network(PSTN) 518. The PSTN 518 is the world's collection of interconnectedvoice-oriented public telephone networks, both commercial andgovernment-owned. It's also referred to as the plain old telephoneservice (POTS). With respect to IP phones 420, for example, the PSTN 518furnishes much of the Internet's long-distance infrastructure. Becauseinternet service providers (ISPs) pay long-distance providers for accessto their infrastructure and share the circuits among many users throughpacket-switching (discussed above), internet users avoid having to payusage tolls to anyone other than their ISPs.

FIG. 6 depicts a component level view of a UE 600 (e.g., any of the UEs102, 104, 302, 304, 402, 404) for use with the systems 400, 500 andmethods 100, 200, 300 described herein. The UE 600 could be any UE ableto send and receive messages in the cellular network 416 or to thecellular network 416. For clarity, the UE 600 is described hereingenerally as a cell phone or smart phone. One of skill in the art willrecognize, however, that the systems 400, 500 and methods 100, 200, 300described herein can also be used with a variety of other electronicdevices, such as, for example, tablet computers, laptops, desktops, andother network (e.g., cellular or IP network) connected devices.

The UE 600 can comprise several components to execute theabove-mentioned functions. As discussed below, the UE 600 can eachcomprise memory 602 including one or more standard applications 606including many common features such as, for example, contacts,calendars, call logs, voicemail, etc. In some examples, the memory 602can also include the operating system (OS) 604. In this case, the UE 600can also comprise a messaging application 608 (e.g., messagingapplications 406, 408), message history 610, and/or message ID list 612.

The UE 600 can also comprise one or more processors 614 and one or moreof removable storage 616, non-removable storage 618, transceiver(s) 620,output device(s) 622, and input device(s) 624. In some examples, such asfor cellular communication devices, the UE 600 can also include a SIM626 including an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), andother relevant information. In some examples, one or more of thefunctions (e.g., the message history 610 and/or the message ID list 612)can be stored on the SIM 626 in addition to (as a backup), or insteadof, being stored in the memory 602.

In various implementations, the memory 602 can be volatile (such asrandom access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (such as read only memory(ROM), flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two. The memory602 can include all, or part, of the functions 606, 608, 610, 612 andthe OS 604 for the UE 600, among other things. In some examples, ratherthan being stored in the memory 602, some, or all, of the functions andmessages can be stored on a remote server or cloud of servers accessibleby the UE 600 such as the RCS server 106, 306, 414.

The memory 602 can also include the OS 604. Of course, the OS 604 variesdepending on the manufacturer of the UE 600 and currently comprises, forexample, iOS 11.2.6 for Apple products and Oreo for Android products.The OS 604 contains the modules and software that support a computer'sbasic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, andcontrolling peripherals. In some examples, the OS 604 can receivesignals from the messaging application 608, for example, to cause the UE600 to send messages, compare message IDs to the message ID list 612,and edit, recall, or delete messages, etc. The OS 604 can also enablethe UE 600 to send and retrieve data via a cellular data connection orinternet connection and perform other functions.

The UE 600 can also include at least one messaging application 608capable of performing some, or all, of one or more of the methods 100,200, 300 discussed above. So, for example, the messaging application 608can receive incoming messages, determine if the message ID on theincoming message matches one in the message ID list 612, and then handlethe incoming message as either an incoming message or a modification ofa stored message. If the incoming message is a stored message, themessaging application 608 can modify the stored message associated withthe message ID indicated in the incoming message. The messagingapplication 608 can provide the EDIT, RECALL, and DELETE functionsdiscussed above, and can interpret the new MSRP or SIP messagesassociated with these functions.

As the name implies, the message history 610 can include all of themessages received and sent by the UE 600 for some period of time. Insome examples, the message history 610 can include all messages sent andreceived that have not been deleted by the user (as opposed to beingtime delineated). In other examples, the message history 610 can includeonly those messages sent and received over some previous period of time(e.g., one day, one week, one month, etc.) The message history 610 canenable the messaging application 608 to modify stored messages based onincoming messages with the same message ID or based on a command in theincoming message, among other things.

In some examples, the UE 600 can also include message ID list 612. Incontrast to the messaging application 608—which may include the messageID, the content of the message, and other information—the message IDlist 612 can be a simple list of message IDs for the messages in themessage history 610. This can enable the messaging application 608 toquickly determine if an incoming message is associated with an incomingmessage or a stored message. As mentioned above, this feature may besomewhat obviated when using new messaging commands such asX-EDIT-MessageID, X-RECALL-MessageID, and X-DELETE-MessageID, whichalready indicate that the incoming message is intended to modify astored message.

The UE 600 can also comprise one or more processors 614. In someimplementations, the processor(s) 614 can be a central processing unit(CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), both CPU and GPU, or any otherprocessing unit. The UE 600 may also include additional data storagedevices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magneticdisks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated inFIG. 6 by removable storage 616 and non-removable storage 618. Theremovable storage 616 and non-removable storage 618 can store some, orall, of the functions 606, 608, 610, 612 and/or the OS 604.

Non-transitory computer-readable media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable tangible, physical mediaimplemented in technology for storage of information, such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.The memory 602, removable storage 616, and non-removable storage 618 areall examples of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitorycomputer-readable media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM,electronically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory or othermemory technology, compact disc ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks(DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othertangible, physical medium which can be used to store the desiredinformation and which can be accessed by the UE 600. Any suchnon-transitory computer-readable media may be part of the UE 600 or maybe a separate database, databank, remote server, or cloud-based server.

In some implementations, the transceiver(s) 620 include any transceiversknown in the art. In some examples, the transceiver(s) 620 can includewireless modem(s) to facilitate wireless connectivity with the other UE,the Internet, and/or an intranet via the cellular network 416. Further,the transceiver(s) 620 may include a radio transceiver that performs thefunction of transmitting and receiving radio frequency communicationsvia an antenna (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth®). In other examples, thetransceiver(s) 620 may include wired communication components, such as awired modem or Ethernet port, for communicating with the other UE or theprovider's internet-based network. The transceiver(s) 620 can enable theUE 600 to send and receive messages and commands associated with thesystems 400, 500 and methods 100, 200, 300 described above.

In some implementations, the output device(s) 622 include any outputdevices known in the art, such as a display (e.g., a liquid crystal orthin-film transistor (TFT) display), a touchscreen display, speakers, avibrating mechanism, or a tactile feedback mechanism. In some examples,the output devices can play various sounds when sending or receiving amessage. In some examples, the output device(s) 622 may play a differentsound or display a different graphic depending on whether the user issending an incoming message or modifying a stored message. The outputdevice(s) 622 may also play an error tone or display an error messagewhen a recipient UE 104, 304 is unable to modify a message, for example,as requested by the sender UE 102, 302. Output device(s) 622 can alsoinclude ports for one or more peripheral devices, such as headphones,peripheral speakers, or a peripheral display.

In various implementations, input device(s) 624 include any inputdevices known in the art. For example, the input device(s) 624 mayinclude a camera, a microphone, or a keyboard/keypad. The inputdevice(s) 624 can include a touch-sensitive display or a keyboard toenable users to enter data and send messages via the messagingapplication 608. The touch-sensitive display or keyboard/keypad may be astandard push button alphanumeric multi-key keyboard (such as aconventional QWERTY keyboard), virtual controls on a touchscreen, or oneor more other types of keys or buttons, and may also include a joystick,wheel, and/or designated navigation buttons, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, the systems 400, 500 and methods 100, 200, 300 canalso be used in conjunction with an RCS server 700 (e.g., RCS servers106, 306, 414). To simplify the discussion, the RCS server 700 isdiscussed below as a standalone server. One of skill in the art willrecognize, however, that the systems 400, 500 and methods 100, 200, 300disclosed herein can also be implemented partially, or fully, on anetwork entity such as, for example, the PCRF 440 or 3GPP AAA server428. Thus, the discussion below in terms of the RCS server 700 is notintended to limit the disclosure to the use of a standalone server.

The RCS server 700 can be a TAS server capable of providing messagingservices, including modifying stored messages, as discussed above. TheRCS server 700 can comprise a number of components to execute part, orall, of the above-mentioned methods 100, 200, 300 and can be used aspart of the systems 400, 500 discussed above. The RCS server 700 cancomprise memory 702 including, for example, an OS 704, a routingapplication 706, a message history 708, and system message ID data 710.In various implementations, the memory 702 can be volatile (such asRAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.), or somecombination of the two. The memory 702 can include all, or part, of thefunctions 706, 708, 710 and the OS 704 for the RCS server 700, amongother things.

The OS 704 can vary depending on the manufacturer of the RCS server 700and the type of component. Many servers, for example, run Linux orWindows Server. Dedicated cellular routing servers may run specifictelecommunications OSs 704. The OS 704 contains the modules and softwarethat supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks,executing applications, and controlling peripherals. The OS 704 canenable the RCS server 700 to receive messages and relay the messages tothe addressee (e.g., the recipient UE 104, 304. 404). In some examples,as discussed below, the OS 704 can also enable the RCS server 700 toperform some, or all, of the methods 100, 200, 300 discussed herein.

In this case, the RCS server 700 can also include the routingapplication 706. The routing application 706 can enable the RCS server700 to route messages from the sender UE 102, 302, 402 to the recipientUE 104, 304, 404 through the cellular network 416 and/or the IP networks420. In some examples, the routing application 706 can work in concertwith other network entities, such as the HLR/HSS 418, to perform thisfunction 706.

In some examples, the RCS server 700 can also include the messagehistory 708 for a plurality of UE (e.g., UEs 102, 104, 302, 304, 402,404, and others on the cellular network 416). Thus, the RCS server 700can store history for users with certain types of accounts, for aparticular network provider, in a particular geographic area, or someother subset of network users. Storing the message history 708 on theRCS server 700 can enable the RCS server 700 to modify messages asdetailed in an incoming message, for example, and send the modifiedmessage to the UE 600. In this manner, the processing and memory demandson the UE 600 can be reduced, among other things.

Due to potential privacy and/or legal concerns, this configuration maynot be a standard configuration. It is nonetheless contemplated hereinas a possible configuration where, for example, privacy concerns are notimplicated. Thus, for a messaging service in use by a governmentalagency, for example, where the messages are deemed to be in the publicdomain at all times, the RCS server 700 can provide a centralizedrepository of messages. Similarly, this configuration may be usefulwhere the contents and sender/recipient of the messages can besufficiently anonymized, encrypted, and/or otherwise protected.

The RCS server 700 can also include system message ID data 710. Like themessage ID list 612 discussed above for the UE 600, the system messageID data 710 can comprise a relatively simple list of message IDs. Inthis case, rather than being specific to a particular UE 600, however,the system message ID data 710 can include message IDs for messages fora larger subset of users. The system message ID data 710 can include allmessage IDs for a certain area, for a particular network provider, in aparticular geographic area, or some other subset of messages. The systemmessage ID data 710 can enable the RCS server 700 to perform theidentification portion of the methods 100, 200, 300—i.e., identifyingthe message as being associated with an incoming message or a storedmessage. In this configuration, the RCS server 700 may add data to theincoming message to indicate to the UE 600 that the incoming message isassociated with either a stored message or an incoming message. Again,this may reduce the processing and memory demands on the UE 600, amongother things.

The RCS server 700 can also comprise one or more processors 712. In someimplementations, the processor(s) 712 can be a central processing unit(CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), both CPU and GPU, or any otherprocessing unit. The RCS server 700 can also include one or more ofremovable storage 714, non-removable storage 716, transceiver(s) 718,output device(s) 720, and input device(s) 722.

The RCS server 700 may also include additional data storage devices(removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks,optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 7by removable storage 714 and non-removable storage 716. The removablestorage 714 and non-removable storage 716 can store some, or all, of theOS 704 and functions 706, 708, 710.

Non-transitory computer-readable media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable tangible, physical mediaimplemented in technology for storage of information, such ascomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data. The memory 702, removable storage 714, and non-removablestorage 716 are all examples of non-transitory computer-readable media.Non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, DVDsor other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible,physical medium which can be used to store the desired information andwhich can be accessed by the RCS server 700. Any such non-transitorycomputer-readable media may be part of the RCS server 700 or may be aseparate database, databank, remote server, or cloud-based server.

In some implementations, the transceiver(s) 718 include any transceiversknown in the art. In some examples, the transceiver(s) 718 can includewireless modem(s) to facilitate wireless connectivity with the UE, theInternet, the cellular network 416, and/or an intranet via a cellularconnection. Further, the transceiver(s) 718 may include a radiotransceiver that performs the function of transmitting and receivingradio frequency communications via an antenna (e.g., Wi-Fi orBluetooth®) to connect to the IP network 420. In other examples, thetransceiver(s) 718 may include wired communication components, such as awired modem or Ethernet port. The transceiver(s) 718 can enable the RCSserver 700 to communicate with the UEs 102, 104, 302, 304, 402, 404 andto send and receive messages between the UEs 102, 104, 302, 304, 402,404 and/or other UEs.

In some implementations, the output device(s) 720 include any outputdevices known in the art, such as a display (e.g., a liquid crystal orthin-film transistor (TFT) display), a touchscreen display, speakers, avibrating mechanism, or a tactile feedback mechanism. In some examples,the output devices can play various sounds based on, for example,whether the RCS server 700 is connected to a network, when a message issent or received, when a message is modified, or when a messagemodification is rejected by an incompatible UE 600, among other things.Output device(s) 720 also include ports for one or more peripheraldevices, such as headphones, peripheral speakers, or a peripheraldisplay.

In various implementations, input device(s) 722 include any inputdevices known in the art. For example, the input device(s) 722 mayinclude a camera, a microphone, a keyboard/keypad, or a touch-sensitivedisplay. A keyboard/keypad may be a standard push button alphanumeric,multi-key keyboard (such as a conventional QWERTY keyboard), virtualcontrols on a touchscreen, or one or more other types of keys orbuttons, and may also include a joystick, wheel, and/or designatednavigation buttons, or the like.

While several possible examples are disclosed above, examples of thepresent disclosure are not so limited. For instance, while the systemsand methods above are discussed with reference to use with cellularcommunications, the systems and methods can be used with other types ofwired and wireless communications. In addition, while various functionsare discussed as being performed on the UEs 102, 104, 302, 304, 402, 404and/or on the RCS server 700, other components, such as networkentities, could perform the portions, or all, of the same or similarfunctions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Inaddition, while the disclosure is primarily directed to UEs 102, 104,302, 304, 402, 404 sending, receiving, and modifying messages, it canalso be used with other devices (e.g., IP network 420 devices, M2M, orIoT devices) on the same, or similar, networks or future networks.Indeed, the systems 400, 500 and methods 100, 200, 300 described hereincan be applied to virtually any network that provides SMS, MMS, RSC, orsimilar types of messaging.

Such changes are intended to be embraced within the scope of thisdisclosure. The presently disclosed examples, therefore, are consideredin all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of thedisclosure is indicated by the appended claims, rather than theforegoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning andrange of equivalents thereof are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more transceivers tosend and receive one or more wired or wireless transmissions; memorystoring at least a message history, the message history including one ormore stored messages and one or more message identifications (ID); andone or more processors in communication with at least the one or moretransceivers and the memory, the memory including computer-executableinstructions to cause the one or more processors to: receive, at the oneor more transceivers, an incoming message from a sender user equipment(UE) that identifies a recipient UE and is associated with incomingcontent and an incoming message header; determine, based at least on theincoming message header, that the incoming message includes at least oneof a modification command or a repeated message ID; determine a storedmessage modified by the incoming message, the stored message associatedwith a message history between the sender UE and the recipient UE;determine, based at least on the incoming message header including themodification command or the repeated message ID, that the incomingcontent includes a modification to be applied to the stored message;generate, based at least on the incoming message header including themodification command or the repeated message ID, a modification messageconfigured to cause the recipient UE to apply the modification to thestored message; and transmit, to the recipient UE, the modificationmessage, wherein the modification message causes the recipient UE toapply the modification to stored content associated with the storedmessage.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein: causing the recipient UE toapply the modification to the stored message comprises recalling thestored content by replacing the stored content with the incomingcontent; and the incoming content further comprises a message that thesender UE has recalled the stored message.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the incoming content further comprises a time at which thesender UE recalled the stored message.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein: causing the recipient UE to apply the modification to thestored message comprises deleting the stored content; and the storedcontent is no longer displayed and is replaced by the incoming contenton a display of the recipient UE.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereingenerating the modification message based at least on the incomingmessage header including the repeated message ID further comprisesgenerating the modification command that causes the recipient UE toapply the modification.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein: the incomingmessage header associated with the incoming message is an incomingsession request; and the incoming session request is comprised of themodification command and a stored message ID associated with the storedmessage, the modification command indicating that the stored content ofthe stored message associated with the stored message ID is to be atleast one of edited, replaced, recalled, or deleted.
 7. A methodcomprising: receiving, from a sender user equipment (UE), a firstmessage that includes a first content and a first message header thatidentifies a recipient UE; sending, to the recipient UE, the firstmessage to the recipient UE including at least the first content and afirst message identifier, wherein the first message is stored inassociation with the sender UE by the recipient UE; receiving, from thesender UE, a second message that includes a second content and a secondmessage header; determining that the second message header includes amodification command and the first message identifier; generating, basedat least on the first content and the second content, a modified messagethat identifies the first message to the recipient UE and includes themodification command; wherein the modification command causes therecipient UE to modify the first message according to the second contentof the second message; and wherein the second content is different fromthe first content.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein: receiving thesecond message and determining the modification command causes a richcontent service (RCS) server to modified a stored message within amessage history associated with the sender UE and the recipient UE; andthe RCS server identifies the stored message based at least on the firstmessage identifier included in the second message header.
 9. The methodof claim 7, wherein: determining the modification command from thesecond message comprises determining an indication of an EDIT commandfrom the sender UE; and the modification command causes the recipient UEto modify the first message by replacing the first content with thesecond content.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein: determining themodification command from the second message comprises determining anindication of a RECALL command from the sender UE; the modificationcommand causes the recipient UE to modify the first message by replacingthe first content with the second content; and the second contentincludes a message indicating the first message has been recalled. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein the second content further comprises atime at which the first message was recalled.
 12. The method of claim 7,wherein: determining the modification command from the second messagecomprises determining an indication of a DELETE command from the senderUE; and the modification command causes the recipient UE to delete thefirst message from a messaging application of the recipient UE.
 13. Themethod of claim 7, further comprising: receiving, from the recipient UE,an error message indicating that the recipient UE is unable to modifythe first message; and transmitting, to the sender UE, the error messageindicating that the first message is unmodified.
 14. A methodcomprising: receiving, from a sender user equipment (UE), an incomingmessage including incoming content and an incoming message header, theincoming message header identifying a recipient UE; comparing, by aprocessor of a rich content services (RCS) server, the incoming messageheader to a plurality of stored messages stored in a message historybetween the sender UE and the recipient UE; identifying, based at leaston the incoming message header, an incoming message ID that identifiesthe incoming message from the sender UE; determining, based at least onthe message history, that the incoming message ID is a repeated messageID, wherein the repeated message ID is associated with the incomingmessage and a stored message of the message history; generating, basedat least on the repeated message ID associated with the incomingmessage, a modified message that includes at least the incoming contentand a modification command; and transmitting the modified message fromthe RCS server to the recipient UE, wherein the modification commandcauses the recipient UE to modify the stored message associated with therepeated message ID.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:receiving, from the sender UE, an additional incoming message includingadditional incoming content and an additional incoming message header,the incoming message header identifying the recipient UE; comparing,with the processor of the RCS server, the additional incoming messageheader to the plurality of stored messages; identifying, based at leaston the additional incoming message header, an additional incomingmessage ID that identifies the additional incoming message from thesender UE; determining, based at least on the message history, that theadditional message ID is a unique message ID, wherein the unique messageID is unassociated with the plurality of stored message; andtransmitting the additional incoming message to the recipient UE. 16.The method of claim 14, wherein the modification command causes therecipient UE to edit the stored message by modifying a stored content ofthe stored message to include the incoming content of the incomingmessage.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein: the stored contentcomprises a first string of text; the incoming content comprises asecond string of text; modifying the stored message is based at least inpart on the incoming content and comprises replacing the first string oftext with the second string of text; and the first string of text isdifferent than the second string of text.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein the modification command causes the recipient UE to recall thestored message by replacing a stored content of the stored message withthe incoming content, the incoming content indicating that the sender UEhas recalled the stored message.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein theincoming content further comprises a time at which the sender UErecalled the stored message.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein themodification command causes the recipient UE to delete the storedmessage by deleting a stored content of the stored message; and whereinthe stored message is no longer displayed in a messaging application ofthe recipient UE.